OWBN Coord Primer

Introduction

So, you’ve made it this far. You’ve decided you wanted to give back to our community and have signed away countless hours of your real life now to a position that is rarely appreciated. Kudos to you and get ready for one heck of a ride.

In all seriousness, first, on behalf of the Coord Class of 2016-2017 and its Collaborators, Thank you for doing what you’re doing, and we all look forward to working with you and any future Coordinators. We hope this document can help ease the strains of the job, and give you tips on how to fulfill your duties better while contributing to a positive experience for you and others.

Section 1 - Ethics

Purpose

Ethics and integrity are the responsibility of each individual. Those who hold the position of Coordinator are expected to be well mannered, professional, and responsible in maintaining the duties described to them in the Coordinator Bylaws and when dealing with other members of this organization at all times.

Accountability

Volunteers for the Coordinator position should be well versed in the responsibilities that come with the position as defined in the Coordinator Bylaws. If such a point comes where the Coordinator becomes incapable of fulfilling those duties, it becomes the responsibility of the Coordinator to take a step back from the position until such time they can accept the commitments they’d made and fulfill the tasks needed for this organization. If such a time does not come, they may wish to consider resignation. We all understand that life sometimes has to come first.

Coordinators must always uphold the standard Code of Ethics in place for all members of the organization, and are duty bound to report violations that they may uncover or witness.

When Dealing With Chronicles

A Coordinator in OWBN is expected to deal with each Chronicle equally. The responsibilities governed by the Coordinator Bylaws are expected to be unilaterally fulfilled among all full member Chronicles, as well as Probationary and Applying Chronicles. Personal opinions of individuals or of Chronicles or other volunteers, have no place in the discussions of any matter with a Chronicle or members of a chronicle.

When Dealing With Other Coordinators

As Coordinators are also members, they are entitled to be dealt with in such fashion that does not violate the Member Code of Ethics. Coordinators should strive to coordinate local, regional, and org-wide issues with other Coordinators. They should not attempt to undermine or otherwise obstruct the duties of another Coordinator’s office, Chronicle or Player.

Section 3 - Proposals

Remember that whether you are an Admin Coord or Genre Coord, when you make Proposals they can ALL AUTOPASS if no Objection is locked in within the 7 Days discussion. However, it is good practice to include the phrase [AUTOPASS] (with brackets) in the subject line for clarity.

Coord Proposals do NOT require a Second and the clock starts counting for 7 days of Discussion, and then 7 Days of Voting.

Remember that your opinions may not always be agreed with by others. There are vastly different ways to approach an Objection with professionalism and politeness. A good system might be to always re-read your replies 2-3 times and ask “Is this Constructive?” Or “Could this be interpreted as aggressive?”

We encourage you to post your proposal first to the Coordinator Email List, as we wish to present a unified front to the rest of the Organization. This is not the same as always agreeing with everyone else. The thought is, if we cannot at least come to some consensus or at least mutual understanding, there is little chance that an additional 100 people shall. It is also a great place filled with some very helpful people that may be able to offer feedback and or notice any potential issues or loopholes that sometimes even the most vigilant eyes could over look. Additionally, the Coordinators all come from varying areas of understanding and expertise. They may be able to provide useful insight into the proposal or provide context for matters that the proposal brings about that directly interacts with their offices.

Section 4 - Sub Coords

Sub Coords are your way of not being overwhelmed. There are very few Coord positions in the Organization that can legitimately be conceivable to run without a strong support staff of Sub-Coords. It’s Important that you understand though, ultimately, a Coordinator is responsible for all his Sub Coords’ actions.

Communication with the Web Coord is very important once registering the Sub Coords. Here’s how:

Give this link a look at, and take a look at your particular Coordinator Pages:

Here's what is needed for Subcoordinator submissions to the website. Please include this in the ticket:

Full name and Display name (some people don't want their surnames listed. I STILL NEED the surname to create the account, it won't be visible on the site)

Personal Email address and Display email address (Some Coordinators have one contact address. That's what will be displayed, but I still need the personal email to create the account.)

Subcoord Title, if any.

Here's what is needed for Email Lists. Please include these on the ticket:

The List's name

The email address

The Signup webpage

The moderator's email address

Any details required for membership

IC/OOC or team contact

An IC description, if applicable

Section 5 - Online Presence

We have come a long way since 1996 as a civilization in regards to technology. One of the biggest problems OWBN has been facing is a negative image from within and outside due to some of our past members and volunteers having a “shaming and blaming” attitude. It may takes us years to recover, if we ever do, but that behavior should have no place in our organization moving forward.

While a person’s right to express opinions and have their voice heard should not be taken away from them, that doesn’t mean anyone should be a bully or behave in a negative fashion on the internet. (Or in Person, see next section). That being said, Trolling, Passive Aggressive commentary, outright shaming people, or any similar behavior should be avoided 100% by any Coordinator. You should also make sure your Sub Coords, as an extension of you understand that YOU the Coord, are accountable for their actions.

Section 6 - Behavior at Games

A Coordinator at local games and event games should always keep in mind that whether they are Playing or Storytelling, they are still a Face of this Organization. Be what you want the Organization to be, and act how you would expect others to act in their positions.